Ben Affleck to Direct & Star in Dennis Lehane’s ‘Live By Night’

Ben Affleck has been a household name since he co-wrote and appeared in Good Will Hunting back in 1997. However, when Affleck jumped behind the camera to direct Gone Baby Gone ten years later, he proved that his future behind the camera just might eclipse his acting career.

That film – based on the Dennis Lehane novel of the same name – was just the starting point. Since then, Affleck again wowed both critics and audiences with his subsequent effort, The Town (2010), while his third release, Argo, is already garnering rave reviews and significant Oscar buzz. Now, on the eve of that film’s theatrical launch, comes news that Affleck may helm another Lehane adaptation.

According to Deadline, Affleck is in talks to helm a film adaptation of Lehane’s latest novel, Live By Night, for Warner Bros. In addition to directing duties, Affleck would write, produce, and star in the film. Previous films based on Lehane novels include Clint Eastwood’s Mystic River and Martin Scorsese’s Shutter Island.

Gone Baby Gone was based on the fourth entry in Lehane’s series centered on private investigators Patrick Kenzie and Angie Gennaro, but Live By Night will feature characters from Lehane’s 2008 period novel, The Given Day. It follows the son of a police captain as he falls into a life of organized crime. No word yet on which character Affleck would play, though it’s likely he’ll appear as the lead character.